Chapman's Odyssey

by Paul Bailey

A colourful procession of real and imaginary characters from his past and present visit writer Harry Chapman in his hospital bed giving us a fascinating and sometimes poignant glimpse of his journey through life. In turns a funny, witty and deeply moving read with lots of quirky bits as we listen to the voices of his relatives, characters from his favourite books and even a man who wants to sell him T S Eliot's teeth! Makes you laugh and cry!

Extract

It remained a mystery to Harry Chapman, after a lifetime of writing about the curious ways of human beings, why certain people - few, in his experience - were pleasantly and gently disposed towards their fellow creatures. They seemed not to suffer from the usual sins of pride, envy, avarice and sloth as they carried out their daily tasks. Leo was one such, a kindly intellectual, and so was Aunt Rose, who was barely educated. There were others he'd encountered who had shamed him with their selflessness.